This Week
230. That is how many rushing yards Detroit put up Sunday against a Minnesota defense that came in allowing fewer than 100 a game, and it is the number that ended the last perfect season of 2026. The Lions beat the Vikings 19-15 at Ford Field, Jared Goff hit Jameson Williams for a 7-yard touchdown with 4:35 left, and for the first time since Nov. 30 of last year, Minnesota walked off a field as the losing team. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 153 yards, and 164 of Detroit's 230 came after halftime, which is when a defense built on pressure and disguise found out it could not get off the field.
The decisive sequence was a small one. Kyler Murray threw an 8-yard touchdown to T.J. Hockenson and a two-point pass to Jordan Addison for a 15-12 lead midway through the fourth quarter. On the next snap, Gibbs ran for 17 yards. Two 9-yard carries later, Detroit was in position, and Goff finished it. Minnesota still had a chance to answer, but with the ball at its own 33 on fourth-and-5, Kevin O'Connell punted. "We still had all three timeouts and we have total trust and confidence in our defense," he said. The defense did not get the ball back.
Nobody in Detroit celebrated much. Linebacker Jack Campbell was placed on a backboard, carted off in the fourth quarter, and taken to a hospital with a neck injury. "It's a little bittersweet," Dan Campbell said. Brian Branch and DJ Wonnum were also evaluated for concussions after colliding with each other. The Lions are 5-2, winners of three straight, and 2-0 in the division, and how quickly they get Campbell back matters more than any standings math.
For Minnesota, the honest reading is the one O'Connell gave: "This is the first adversity we've faced in terms of results, and it didn't happen until Nov. 1." The Vikings are 6-1 with an offense that had 81 rushing yards, a star receiver in Justin Jefferson who declined to talk afterward, and Buffalo coming to town next Monday night. Larry Csonka of the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins was among those celebrating. Another season will pass without an unbeaten team, and the NFC North, where all four teams have winning records, just got tighter.
Denver's five-play stand. Kansas City had the ball inside the Denver 5 with 35 seconds left and needed a touchdown. Patrick Surtain II stopped Kenneth Walker III at the 1, Mahomes threw incomplete under pressure, and third-string safety J.L. Skinner stuffed Walker for no gain. Mahomes hit Rashee Rice for an apparent winning score on fourth down, but right tackle Jaylon Moore's false start wiped it out, and on the do-over Malcolm Roach and Nik Bonitto buried Mahomes for a 6-yard loss. Broncos 28, Chiefs 24: Denver has won 15 straight one-score games over two seasons, Mahomes is now 80-3 when leading by double digits in the fourth quarter, and Sean Payton has 200 career wins.
How the Broncos got there. Denver trailed 24-13 early in the fourth and had gone three-and-out on all three of its third-quarter drives. Bo Nix threw a 2-yard touchdown to Nate Adkins and found Jaylen Waddle for two, then, after Alex Singleton's sack pushed Harrison Butker back to a 54-yard try that missed wide right, Nix hit rookie Jonah Coleman for 51 yards and Coleman ran it in from 5. That was Nix's 15th fourth-quarter or overtime winning drive, the most for any quarterback in his first three seasons since the merger, per the AP. Denver leads the AFC West by a half-game.
Zero completions, 324 rushing yards. In a driving rain in Tampa, Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 and the Buccaneers beat Atlanta 16-0 anyway. Tampa Bay set a franchise record with 324 rushing yards, with Bucky Irving running for 170 and Kenny Gainwell for 140, and became the first team without a completion since the 1974 Bills. Per NFL Research, no team had won by double digits without completing a pass since 1945. "If I'm not gonna throw the ball, I have to get active somehow," said Mayfield, who threw more downfield blocks than passes. The defense picked off Michael Penix Jr. four times, two by Alex Anzalone.
Baltimore's season turns on one snap. On the Ravens' first offensive play in Buffalo, Lamar Jackson jammed his right thumb on Greg Rousseau's arm. Jesse Minter said Jackson needs surgery and will go on injured reserve, possibly for the rest of the season. Tyler Huntley then left with a toe injury, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano finished a 36-10 loss in his NFL debut. The Ravens had 144 total yards, Zay Flowers had no catches on five targets, and Baltimore (4-4) has lost three straight with Jacksonville coming in Thursday night.
Allen passes Kelly. Josh Allen's two touchdown passes gave him 260 for his career including playoffs, breaking Jim Kelly's franchise record, and his 102nd win moved him past Tom Brady for third among quarterbacks through nine seasons. The bigger news in Buffalo might be the defense, which had allowed 29 or more points in five of six games and forced three turnovers with four sacks. Tyler Bass made a 56-yarder and has now hit 21 straight, a franchise record, after missing all of last season.
Burrow, at full volume. Cincinnati was a 13.5-point favorite, trailed Tennessee 13-0 in the first quarter, and won 43-36 in overtime. Joe Burrow threw for 462 yards and five touchdowns, tied it with an 18-yarder to Tee Higgins with 1:17 left, then ran 9 yards untouched for the winner. He also threw three interceptions, all to Titans safety Amari Hooker, and per the AP, Burrow and Norm Van Brocklin in 1951 are the only quarterbacks with 450 passing yards, five touchdown passes, a rushing score, and multiple picks in one game. It was the second straight week the Bengals came back from 13 down in the first half.
Pittsburgh, 23 in a row. Jared Verse said it was time for Cleveland to "make Pittsburgh ours." The Steelers sacked Deshaun Watson eight times, ran for 200 yards, and won 27-6 for their 23rd straight home win over the Browns, tying Green Bay's run against Detroit from 1992 to 2014 for the NFL record. Jaylen Warren ran for 143 yards on his 28th birthday, and Verse finished with one assisted tackle. "I don't know who the hell that team was that walked out there," he said. Pittsburgh (6-2) leads the AFC North going into its bye.
Arizona's strange afternoon in Arlington. Dallas led by two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter. Gardner Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett in the third, Tyler Allgeier ran for 147 yards with all but 7 of his 191 scrimmage yards after halftime, and Minshew drove 80 yards in 65 seconds without a timeout to tie it on a 13-yarder to Michael Wilson. Chad Ryland then missed the extra point that would have won it, and made a 42-yarder in overtime that did. Arizona is 5-0 all time at AT&T Stadium, and Jerry Jones said the loss will not cost Brian Schottenheimer his job.
Jacksonville's home cooking. The Jaguars beat Indianapolis 42-7 and lead the AFC South by three games. Trevor Lawrence went 10-of-14 for 210 yards and three touchdowns, rookie Bhayshul Tuten had career highs with 104 rushing and 55 receiving, and Rayuan Lane's 92-yard interception return made it 28-0 at the half. Jacksonville has outscored opponents 271-75 during a seven-game regular-season home winning streak. "That was an old-fashioned butt whooping," Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said, five days after his team traded DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson.
Cousins and his wellness celebration. The Jets scored on their first six possessions and still lost, 38-33, to Las Vegas. Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns, including a 2-yarder to Jalen Nailor for the lead, and after his 1-yard touchdown run he crouched and flapped his elbow, which he explained as a tribute to the team's training staff. Dylan Laube's 95-yard kickoff return was the first of the season leaguewide, and Jeremy Chinn sealed it with a toe-tapping end-zone interception. The Raiders' four-game skid is over.
Lambeau on Thursday. Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19 behind Jordan Love's three touchdown passes and six sacks of Bryce Young, and the Packers have not let any of their last five opponents score more than 20. Christian Watson hurt his chest on a 53-yard catch, was taken to a hospital, cleared after a CT scan, and came back to finish with 113 yards. He said afterward he had broken a rib.
MNF thoughts (not played). Chicago (5-2) plays at Seattle (4-3) at 8:15 p.m. ET, and the Seahawks are favored by 3. Seattle will be without left tackle Charles Cross and Rashid Shaheed. The Bears are without Cole Kmet, who is on injured reserve, but did add Jeffery Simmons in a trade with Tennessee on Thursday. A Bears win moves them to 6-2, a half-game behind Minnesota in the NFC North; a Seattle win moves the champions to 5-3, a game and a half behind San Francisco in the NFC West. Both teams are provisional in the rankings below.